https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/...rigger-rising-mental-health-concerns-dr-congo
The M23 insurgency has absorbed the attention of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government and led to a flurry of regional peace efforts over the past year. Yet the conflict is just one of many driving humanitarian needs in the country.
Of the more than 100 armed groups active in DRC’s eastern provinces, one of the oldest and most violent is the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant movement of Ugandan origins that has pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS).
With the spotlight on the M23 – which is backed by Rwanda and has seized large chunks of territory in the east – The New Humanitarian spent time speaking with survivors of ADF atrocities and health workers addressing the conflict’s fallout.
“I have been supporting displaced people of different wars for 20 years… [but] the ADF massacres have become serious and we have never experienced such killings,” said Marie-Jeanne Masika, who works for a local NGO helping conflict victims.
Interviewees said recent measures taken to combat the ADF – from a joint Uganda-DRC military intervention to the introduction of martial law – have failed to improve security for civilians.
Instead, the militants have expanded geographically, carrying out massacres, abductions, and bombings in urban areas that have struck targets including a government building, a cinema, and a church in recent months.
Those affected by the long-running violence – which centres on North Kivu and Ituri provinces – raised warnings of a rising mental health toll. Yet local health workers said there is an absence of support for those needing psychosocial services.
“Today, we must no longer reduce humanitarian assistance to the sole distribution of provisions… to victims,” said Masika. “A big problem also remains psychosocial care to avoid having mental illnesses in the future.”
‘We are in so much pain’
The ADF formed in 1995 after members fled to DRC amid military pressure in Uganda. It has its roots in the repression of Ugandan Muslims, though its complex history and modus operandi is obscured by narratives that focus solely on its Islamist orientation….
The M23 insurgency has absorbed the attention of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government and led to a flurry of regional peace efforts over the past year. Yet the conflict is just one of many driving humanitarian needs in the country.
Of the more than 100 armed groups active in DRC’s eastern provinces, one of the oldest and most violent is the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a militant movement of Ugandan origins that has pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State (IS).
With the spotlight on the M23 – which is backed by Rwanda and has seized large chunks of territory in the east – The New Humanitarian spent time speaking with survivors of ADF atrocities and health workers addressing the conflict’s fallout.
“I have been supporting displaced people of different wars for 20 years… [but] the ADF massacres have become serious and we have never experienced such killings,” said Marie-Jeanne Masika, who works for a local NGO helping conflict victims.
Interviewees said recent measures taken to combat the ADF – from a joint Uganda-DRC military intervention to the introduction of martial law – have failed to improve security for civilians.
Instead, the militants have expanded geographically, carrying out massacres, abductions, and bombings in urban areas that have struck targets including a government building, a cinema, and a church in recent months.
Those affected by the long-running violence – which centres on North Kivu and Ituri provinces – raised warnings of a rising mental health toll. Yet local health workers said there is an absence of support for those needing psychosocial services.
“Today, we must no longer reduce humanitarian assistance to the sole distribution of provisions… to victims,” said Masika. “A big problem also remains psychosocial care to avoid having mental illnesses in the future.”
‘We are in so much pain’
The ADF formed in 1995 after members fled to DRC amid military pressure in Uganda. It has its roots in the repression of Ugandan Muslims, though its complex history and modus operandi is obscured by narratives that focus solely on its Islamist orientation….
